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It may be helpful to review exactly who said what about Trump in connection with the Cohen proceedings, and what it means. There were at least four separate statements made about Cohen’s crimes and the role of the Trump campaign or the candidate himself. 1/6
The written Information (charging document) to which Cohen pleaded guilty didn’t say he coordinated with or was directed by Trump. It said he acted “in cooperation, consultation, and concert with, and at the request and suggestion of one or more members of the campaign.” 2/6
But in oral statements made in court under oath, reading from his own notes, Cohen said he acted “in coordination with, and at the direction of, a candidate for federal office,” not merely members of the campaign, and “at the request of the candidate.” 3/6
The prosecutor in court said that the government’s evidence would be that Cohen’s crimes were committed “in coordination with a candidate or campaign for federal office” and “in coordination with the campaign or candidate.” 4/6
So, Cohen leaned forward to implicate Trump, the government in documents and oral statements left it more general, almost surely because there’s no need to prove coordination with Trump individually, rather than the campaign, at this stage of the proceedings. 5/6
But this morning, Trump said on TV that the payments “came from me” rather than the campaign, which may tend to support Cohen’s statement that the President, not merely the campaign, was directly involved. 6/6
